Reblog: Have We Made an Idol Out of Sexual Purity?

I recently read an article on purity in Relevant Magazine I thought you all would appreciate. This quote really jumped out at me:

We spend so much time discussing physical purity, without challenging this generation to live a life that is so Spirit-filled, Christ-centered and God-breathed that purity is just the natural overflow.

Here’s the article; check it out for yourself! I’d love to hear your take on it in the comments.

Have We Made an Idol Out of Sexual Purity?

Debra K. Fileta is a Licensed Professional Counselor specializing in Relationship and Marital issues. She is the author of the new book True Love Dates (Zondervan, 2013). Visit www.truelovedates.com and follow her on Twitter to get your dating questions answered and to learn more!

I’ll never forget the look on her face as she shared the story of her dark sexual past, with tears welling up in her eyes.

But the ironic thing is, she was less concerned with what she had done—for she knew God had forgiven her of her past and wiped it clean—and more concerned with what others would think of her.

What if her church friends knew? Could she ever find someone to love her? Did she even deserve that kind of love?

Having recently been saved, God had pulled her out of the trenches of sexual addiction and transformed her into the start of a new life. But she found herself feeling confused. The same people that preached grace and God’s forgiveness seemed to continuously remind her of her dark past.

She had recently heard in church that when you give yourself away sexually, you have given away a piece of your heart that you could never get back. If that were true, what did she have left? Her “heart” had been given away so many times in the mistakes of her past, was there anything left to give?

It is important to honor God with our bodies, but since when did our holiness have anything to do with who we are, instead of everything to do with who Christ is?

If you grew up in church, you’ve likely heard one of these horrific analogies somewhere along the way:

Your sexual purity, once it’s given away is like…

“Tape that’s lost it’s stickiness.”

“Paper that’s been torn.”

“Gum that’s been chewed.”

“A gift that’s been unwrapped.”

While I get the mentality behind these messages, my problem with these analogies, and in fact, this entire discussion, is that it presents “purity” as a one-dimensional physical act.

First you have it, then you don’t. Vanished. Gone. Over. Done with. In a blink of an eye, the prospect of being “pure” and holy has been wiped away.

This mentality is so dangerous because it fools us into believing that our entire worth as believers and as “eligible” bachelors/bachelorettes is wrapped up on this one, single part of who we are.

Please don’t misunderstand, I believe it is important to honor God with our bodies, but since when did our holiness have anything to do with who we are, instead of everything to do with who Christ is?

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wastingperfume

I’m Tiffany Deluccia, and I live in Greenville, SC. I’m a writer. A singer. A Clemson grad. An abolitionist. A cook. An aspiring gardener. A normal girl, as much as any of us are normal. More importantly, I’m a follower of Jesus. I’ve worked and volunteered in ministry for years, and I’ve been writing all my life. I sincerely hope the posts on WastingPerfume.com encourage and inspire you to fall more in love with Jesus.
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